Standard disclaimer: I thank all the owners of the Tenchi characters who have chosen not to sue me for suggesting some alternative uses for them. Winter Coat The surrounding trees retired in black hibernation and cut jagged shadows into the surrounding blanket of ice. Dense clouds readied themselves, eager to send more of creation into one tone or the other. Ivory blend silver, clots of snow melted and frozen again, making dull rocks shine like obsidian, trapping handfuls of pine needles and dirt. A hidden sun considers whether to leave the few mundane reminders of life with nothing to live for. Tenchi tried to find comfort in this, telling himself that at least he didn't need his sunglasses to dull the blinding glare of dead winter. Silence, however, somehow pierced through all of his protective layers. The snow had packed so tightly that it sounded more like gravel crunching beneath the weight of his boots. As audible as his movement was; footsteps, like breaths, were perpetual enough to be swallowed up into the eerie quiet around him. During other seasons the isolation of the forest brought tranquility, but by association snow turned it into a graveyard. The only peace he could fathom now was that which he hoped his lost loved ones were sleeping in. He begged for a wind to stir the stillness, a single songbird to return early, something to distract him from the white noise that made his solemn thoughts speak so loudly. Though he was almost too warm in some places, he did as all people do when avoiding depth and focused on the weather. Tenchi told himself that his fingers were numb enough to fall off, and tried to blow some warmth into them. This gesture forced him to clap pebbles of ice from his thick gloves and likewise brush them out of his thin moustache. Such boyish clumsiness should have made him laugh yet he barely sighed, walking on through small clouds of his own frozen breath. Slower steps continued through shallower snow till they stopped and moved hesitantly towards a small stone carving. Cold wind sang over the mouth of the nearby cave. *** Blankets and pillows of steam begged her eyes to rest for just a moment longer. She indulgently caressed the length of her thighs, their texture demanding to be washed again and again till she melted into a silk puddle. The vanilla soap rinsed away, lather and froth cascading down milk skin. A happy smile for temptation and a small sigh for simple decadence, but she lifted herself out of the onsen decisively. She knew the inverse atmosphere of the short journey ahead, but knew her destination better. Violet hair shook out of the small shower cap as her first layer of warm clothing folded over. *** Knowing that he would be the only one honored if he knelt in snow, he stood as erect as he could, but still lowered his head. The name on the stone, the spans of time "re-estimated" for the sake of possible passers by, the simple Shinto prayer it had taken a short time to choose and nearly too long to accept, it all still struck him like a horrible dream. He waited for melancholy to replace regret. The memories were all playing at once now, all asking tears, and thankfully, stealing laughter. A weak smile crept out carrying a weaker voice with it. "Sheesh. If you were going to go, couldn't you have at least done it in the summer, I'm freezing out here." He rubbed his hands excessively. Not even a gust of wind or a plop of falling snow in the distance. Tenchi's unconvincing attempt at comfort-humor fell on deaf ears. With all his might he mentally repeated one of his grandfather's better sayings, that people must 'meet death with life'. He folded his arms and hugged himself a little to drag his meager smile back out of hiding. "Of course, you always did like to see me shiver." The forced chuckle that followed finally pierced the ice like a white-hot iron. The wind answered, and stung a genuinely happy tear out of his left eye as he continued in a friendly voice. "This has been a good year for everybody, it looks like dad will be able to get a great retirement package, and I've currently got two firms fighting over me...n-n-not that I'm bragging or anything." Another chuckle, another degree of warmth to his voice. "Mihoshi's been pretty busy lately with her promotion and all, the child welfare department has done wonders for her. We still hear from her every now and again, almost always with good news. "Grandfather and Washu well-"Tenchi cleared his throat and turned a little more red in the face, "they've been kinda keeping themselves busy, I'm not sure with what, but we have dinner with them all the time." His smile faded slightly and his eyes froze in thought. "I'd tell you how I imagine Sasami is doing, but something tells me you talk to her more than I---do!" The last word fell into a sob. Somewhere within the spiritual hopes of infinity the mundane certainty of an end rang out again. Tenchi shivered sincerely this time, swallowing and sniffling and grasping for strength. "I'm sorry, everyone really is happy, I mean it. It's just, I--- we---all miss you. It's kind of a pain when you can't judge anything by a measly human life span anymore, it makes it hard to figure out if enough time has passed to get over it. I don't know if I'll ever stop getting all worked up around this time of year. My mother, she-" his explanation paused for another string of suppressed sobs. "I still get the same way about her, so I guess you're stuck with me." Tenchi managed something like a laugh. He stood there, staring at the stone, fully aware of the stubborn tear warming a thin trail down his face. The footsteps coming up behind him made no attempt to conceal themselves, and made him smile and cry anew, though still silently. By a considerable feat of will he recomposed himself by the time an unmistakable hand snaked around the crook in his arm. The following warmth that leaned against him spread over every inch of skin, down his throat, and up through his mind. Everything that might have been stone or ice melted by the soft purity of her voice. "Hello Tenchi." "Hello Aeka." He managed an attempt at the same tone. Though the stability was not as full, the familiarity and trust could not be any more overt. They stood in silence for a few minutes, simply starring at the headstone and organizing their personal memories together. When Tenchi spoke again the tears were gone, but they'd left a distinctly solemn weight. "Do you worry that I still come here sometimes?" After a silent sigh, Aeka leaned into him a little more and responded with the graceful yet sincere formality she'd learned too much too early to outgrow. "You come here at the same time every year, just as you visit the other location on the appropriate date." With that said, she continued in a softer, more supportive voice. "No Tenchi, I am not worried. In fact, I understood very soon that you'd keep visiting her for the rest of your days," her own rising emotion begged a pause, "and I plan to be by your side each time from now on." Tenchi shifted his arm and wrapped it around her almost tightly enough to pull her into facing him. She returned the embrace with equal vigor. They looked again at the memento to their friend for another stretch of silence. He was more composed when at last he spoke, yet clearly vulnerable. "I still dream about it sometimes Aeka, the day we lost her. It's as vivid as anything I can imagine. That new machine Washu made, she was so proud of it. Even---even Ryoko was impressed." He paused and gulped while Aeka tightened her grip only enough to encourage him to go on. "Who knows what went wrong, we all know that, for once, Mihoshi wasn't touching anything. Then---then that big sphere of energy just came out. The heat, the vibration pouring out of it; I knew it wasn't good but...seeing that look on Washu's face, then seeing Ryoko jump into the air and start blasting it with everything she had." Aeka nuzzled her own rising tears against Tenchi's side, clearly sharing the memory. "She-she screamed at us. Ordering us all to run, telling me to grab Washu and get her out of there." He gulped and tried to chuckle, but all that came was a sharp, trembling breath. "It took grandpa and even dad to help me do it. She must have landed at least one good sucker punch on all of us, but somehow we managed to make it out of there and far enough away from the house before-" Tenchi clamped his eyes shut and began to quiver. Aeka moved to face him and within seconds was pulled into his arms, absorbing sobs into her hair. "Why?! Why did she have to do it, there had to have been some other way!" The pitch of his sobs rose to release years of buried frustration. As his grip first tightened, then went almost flaccid from the exertion, Aeka slowly managed to pull out of his grasp and take his hands in her own. She removed both their gloves too gently for him to notice and pressed her cheeks into his surprisingly warm knuckles. The gesture was enough to bring his chin up out of his chest. He stood timidly still, but his eyes reached out, waiting for her to look up as she spoke in the most soothing of voices. "We can never know the answers to those questions, but we all keep asking them. We all miss her Tenchi, and...we all wish we could have parted under different circumstances." The double meaning sunk in slowly, and Tenchi began to acknowledge that Aeka's grief could be just as vivid, however different. She traded cheeks and continued, following him in the search for previous strength. "Even as we think we understand each other's pain, try to remember what Washu must have gone through." Tenchi shuddered with appreciation for her uncanny ability to simultaneously find empathy and sympathy. He grasped her hands at the memories of Washu's fury, then agony as they forcefully carried the little scientist away from her most precious creation. She had cursed them, threatened to destroy them all, but they held fast, dropping her only when the explosion knocked everyone to the ground. As a result of Ryoko's efforts it had not been particularly large, but it left a deep crater where their house had once been. When the smoke cleared they found her lying at the bottom of it, the gem on her wrist and the remaining two in the sword barely reflecting the sun. Washu was able to reopen another sub-dimension and rebuild a new lab, but she never brought Ryoko's body into it, did not even attend the funeral, and remained mute for more than four months. After extensive efforts, Yosho finally managed to bring her back. She explained that Ryoko had telepathically 'heard' her figure out that the only way to keep them all from perishing in seconds would be to focus a huge energy source back at the sphere. It took vast amounts of patience, but the ancient priest seemed determined to make her proud of her daughter rather than ashamed of herself. A deep bond had formed between them as a result. "I was beginning to fear that we would loose her too." Tenchi managed in a whisper. "Indeed." Aeka pulled open a few of the buttons on Tenchi's jacket and spread her hands around his torso. A solemn calm seemed to pass over the both of them as he rested his lips against her forehead, lightly stroked her hair. "I still thank the stars that grandpa was somehow able to get her to talk." Tenchi watched his breath lightly sway tiny strands of delicate hair, smiling as she began to smooth his shirt against his back. "I believe he was able to get her to do more than that." She mumbled slyly. "Aeka!" Tenchi angled his head back and caught the playful light in her eyes before she turned away with a helpless blush. "That's no way for a princess to talk." He laughed through every word of his reprimand. "Remember Tenchi, I'm not a princess anymore, I resigned that position to stay here with you." Aeka said it almost teasingly, but quickly softened. "The same way that Sasami did so that she could---" The explanation trailed off, and Aeka clutched more tightly, clearly savoring the feeling as Tenchi returned the pressure. Just as it seemed that they were bringing life to one memory, another wholly different nostalgia filled them. Luckily, both were now able to keep from regressing to the original grief. Their next words came with sadness, but without regret, speaking of the issue to know it better and for the best. "Your parents must still be rather distraught about loosing both their children." "They have not lost their children, dear Tenchi," Aeka reassured with soft confidence, "they have only lost their heirs. Besides, I spoke with them recently---there will be a new prince of Jurai soon." Tenchi held her out by the shoulders and stared incredulously. She nodded with a suppressed smile and was drawn back in shared laughter. "Oh dear, what did your mother say about becoming a new mother and a new grandmother so soon?" A singular brightness spread over Tenchi's face as Aeka spread a hand over the tiny bulge on her belly. His smile began to fade, however, every long second that she remained silent and averted. "Aeka," he asked with suddenly intense worry, "you did tell them, didn't you?" "...surprises can be nice." The voice was almost mouse-like, but he heard it quite clearly in the now almost tranquil silence. "What! Aeka, why didn't you tell them?! Are you trying to give that ancient father of yours a heart attack?" Tenchi bellowed in exaggerated anger while Aeka stepped back with an equally puffed up gasp. "Tenchi! How dare you speak of the Emperor of Jurai that way, he could have you executed!" Aeka put her hands on her hips and leaned forward for effect. Tenchi only mocked her pose by folding his arms and pulling his neck back. "Is that so? Is he going to do it himself, or just send some other pink haired powder puff?" The former princess's sternness held for no more than two seconds. She broke, clutching her sides and laughing with her husband almost to tears. When they both caught their breath, she grabbed tightly onto Tenchi's hand and pulled his arm lightly around her shoulders. Once again they looked down at the stone together, still trying to smile their accepted sorrow into melancholy. By the push of another breeze, Aeka spoke again in a voice as strained and nervous as Tenchi's had been when he'd first arrived. "Tenchi, you know she loved you as much as I do." "Aeka---" Tenchi sighed in uncommon exasperation. "Please listen to me Tenchi." She nearly pleaded. "We had this conversation years ago, you know I-" "Please Tenchi, you've said your peace, now I need to say mine." There was silence between them, Aeka's voice whispered out again, still trembling along the edges. "I know I've told you this Tenchi, but she did love you, as much as I think anyone can. I don't know what cruel fate could put the same love for one man inside the hearts of two different women. We---we hated each other, for so long. It became even worse when we began to see our feelings truly reflected in each other. You must have noticed, we stopped the petty bickering, but only to please you, beneath our civility was a raging fear. I---I thought I knew that if you asked us to fight to the death for your love...neither of us would have hesitated. " "Aeka, please-" Tenchi went ignored. "But---but I was wrong," a fresh tear rolled out and she wiped it away, lowering her head in apparent shame. "She, she didn't want any more people to die, not even me! She gave her life to protect us all and I still pray that she did not deserve you more than-" Tenchi held the cries to his chest, whispering tenderly. "Don't do this to yourself Aeka, you were just telling me about questions we can never know, the only important thing is that I love you. I know Ryoko's spirit is at peace and I know we are happy, please try to remember that. This is no time to think about jealousy, she gave us the beautiful life we have together now, didn't she?" Aeka nodded weakly into his chest. At this he lifted her chin to share a gentle kiss, after which he matched her trembling smile. She nuzzled his chest again. "Right, if she's watching us now, I'm sure she's cheering us on." A weak laugh rose out of Tenchi's jacket. Aeka pulled him down for another kiss and stepped away to wipe at some more tears. "Come on, let's go back before it gets dark, I think the radio said there might be a storm tonight." Tenchi suggested brightly, trying to show his rejuvenation as he took Aeka's hand and began pulling on it with schoolboy enthusiasm. She smiled and nodded, taking a few wide steps alongside him before stopping in half a gasp. "Goodness, I almost forgot." Aeka searched through the inner pockets of her thick robe till she removed a small thermos. Tenchi raised an eyebrow in a moment's curiosity, then smiled. "You brought me soup?" Aeka grinned in amusement and put on an air of false indignation, raising her nose in the air. "No-I-did-not-bring-you soup. Do I look like your servant? Honestly Tenchi, I must have spoiled you somehow." She walked past him without even letting his shadow cross hers. Dumbfounded, he watched as she placed a small sake bowl on top of Ryoko's headstone and delicately poured. With the thermos back in her robe, she bowed her head and placed her hands together ceremoniously, mumbling too softly for Tenchi to hear. "I'm sure you're probably swimming in it wherever you are, but this was a particularly fine bottle." She watched thick steam billow out of the tiny container into the winter air, almost tasting it herself. An unquestioned happiness filled her belly and she bowed more deeply, leaving one last lighthearted impression before she practically raced Tenchi back to their new home. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him." *** Thick as Tenchi's skin could be, the winter air had made his fingers numb but strangely sensitive. Splinters made him grimace as he sat on the mantle loading firewood. Each of his nerves seemed torn between feeling dead and knowing every microscopic contour of the rough bark. He built the customary pyramid to start a fire while silently frowning at the irony that numbness should be such a biting sensation. The sound of his wife preparing their hot chocolate in kitchen happily distracted him from another problem too small and easily solved to be analyzed. Newspaper flared up and ignited the smaller twigs. He admired the solid structure of the fireplace as he eagerly wiggled his fingers centimeters from its iron screen. Rather than complain about the temporary quarters they'd set up in the shrine, he and his father had worked day and night with renewed enthusiasm to design and construct a new house. Thinking fondly on the time they'd spent building the fireplace together made him take little notice of how frozen his slight rear was becoming on the surrounding stones. The kindling was soon ablaze, mixing an odd glow with the already fading daylight. One more look at the frozen world outside and Tenchi smiled back even more gratefully at the fire. He scuttled off the stones and sat cross-legged on the thick living room rug, watching the flames and savoring the smallest portion of smoke it takes to turn a hearth into a home. The sound of Aeka's bare feet padding into the living room made him turn. Her delicate movements held his focus as she placed two steaming mugs down and sat across from him. She'd changed into a simple black and white house kimono. It reminded him for a moment of the sad monochrome outside, but her pale skin caught the firelight and all thoughts of winter were banished. "Be careful Tenchi, I think they may still be too hot to drink." Aeka warned lightly then stuck an index finger into one of the mugs. Tenchi watched intently as she promptly withdrew it and sucked away the moisture, a tiny noise in her throat announcing that they should let it cool. She didn't look up at him while she slowly withdrew her finger from between her lips, but it was obvious to him that she knew he was watching. He thought it might have been done without forethought, but marriage has a way of dissolving ambiguity. Well this is certainly an abrupt change of mood. So she wants to play this game huh? Tenchi picked up the mugs and set them aside on the fireplace mantle, speaking in a casual voice that could not have passed for casual in any situation. "Hey, why don't we let these cool over here while I'll give you a foot massage, that way we can warm your feet and my hands at the same time." He didn't wait for an answer or even look up at her reaction, he merely leaned over to a small nightstand and opened the center cabinet. Ankles rested in his lap and toes wiggled against his belly. Tenchi could feel her smiling when he removed the lotion. Instead of the generic, dry skin formula normally kept there, someone had replaced it with a bottle named after the same fragrance in Aeka's soap, shampoo, and occasional body spray, the one that he still could not exhale normally. He held the bottle in his hands for a moment, pretending to read the label in defeat. "Well come on Tenchi, my feet are getting cold." Her voice might have been soft, were it not so seductive. She wiggled her toes into him again and he could not help but look up. His wife's beauty washed over him. Even when they were competing for most alluring glare from beside the firelight, there was no tease, no guilty pleasure, all he felt welling up was a warmth, a euphoric sense of safety found only in opposite and equal amounts from children to their parents, and parents to each other. She starred back with complete trust, yet somehow still managed to challenge him. Tenchi matched her, her and the temperature of her hot chocolate, her and the feral rush this lotion's scent sent through him. He silently relished every jerk and tiny gasp she made as he dribbled tiny dots of cold lotion along her feet at a sadistically slow pace. Aeka tried to keep her fire warmed stare locked on her masseuse, but strong fingers pressed in and pulled the tender flesh for no more than a few seconds before once smoldering eyes fluttered shut in helpless ecstasy. She tried to keep herself propped up, so that at least he could see her undeniably erotic facial expressions, but the more his hands slipped in the more hers slipped out. She instinctively supported her head on her wrists for the few moments left before she had to spread her palms out into the dense fabric. Tenchi's fingers managed to find and devour every vulnerable curve and crevice along his wife's dainty feet. Memories of snow angels flew in as he watched her luxurious arm movements fit perfectly with the motion, spreading wings by turning over and darkening the threads of their rug. Once again he looked outside just to remind himself of how much better off he was, tucked away in his castle with his queen. Dusk had already crept up on them, and the firelight was taking over, making the tender flesh in his hands even more radiant. He sighed in disbelief at how perfect Aeka's toes were, each little pearl stretched and bent in his hands with all the delicate grace of a petal. His touch became less forceful, his fingertips nearly dancing up and down the tiny veins and wrinkles, remembering each of the sensitive spots he'd found through much appreciated experimentation. He smirked at his own boldness as he spread the palm of his hand over her heel, ankle, and slightly up the base of her calf. Aeka sighed in eager submission to his skill, but it was still very difficult for him not to be distracted as she kept bending her knees and inching her hips forward. Sensing that the game was beginning to progress a little two quickly, he opted for an intermission. "There we go," Tenchi exhaled happily, giving her two largest toes an affectionate pinch apiece. Aeka stopped breathing as he put the lotion away and set her feet gently to the side so that he could more safely stretch to get the still steaming mugs. As soon as he was ready to grasp them, she crawled around behind him and clutched onto his shoulders. Her warm breath licked the bottom of his neck and the back of his ear. "Tenchi," she cooed, "the rest of me needs to be warmed up too." As undeniably and ridiculously corny as this invitation was, Tenchi could tell that his wife realized this, and relished every moment of it, not caring if he gulped or laughed, so long as he ravished her soon afterward. In the playful core of every man's sexuality the self-important foreman of 'deeper emotion' often obscures a simpler voice. For the first time since he'd found his father's 'Private Art collection', this shamelessly juvenile part of his psyche finally got to be expressed loud and clear. He smiled to himself at the wiry imp in his mind, raising a fist and nearly squeaking out: Oh! Boy! With anxious certainty, Tenchi pivoted around on his knees and grasped Aeka's hips. There might have been time for a deep stare, but their mouths washed over each other too quickly to tell. A tiny 'clack' of teeth echoed briefly as two tongues raced to change seats, pressing and sliding warm lips into amorphous overlapping positions. Each of them nodded back and forth to grasp at some rhythm, neither wanting to give up or deny control. Soft popping sounds as they broke for just enough air. Aeka closed her eyes more tightly at the feeling of familiar hands caressing their way up her neck and face. She clutched at Tenchi's abdomen violently as his fingers slowly spread through her hair. Again in contrast to his gentle movements, she leaned her head back and thrust her chest forward, daring him to deepen his kiss and lower his hands. Tenchi's forefingers traced down the back of her neck while his thumbs inched along her jawbone. The slow rotations of his tongue stopped again as Aeka pulled away for an erotic sigh. Bringing her thighs together and turning away, she pressed her back into her husband's chest before he could even notice her changed position. He opened his eyes for just a moment and, seeing the violet silk beneath his face, closed them again to gratefully inhale the scent that had partially started all this. Aeka leaned back and stretched her legs out luxuriously, reaching around and bringing his right forefinger into her mouth. Her lips curled into a smile around it at the small gasp behind her ear. She nibbled on the tip and drew its length into her mouth tauntingly. With his free hand, Tenchi pulled the hair away from Aeka's neck and began placing tiny kisses from her ear down to her collarbone. He continued back up with a hungry movement, smearing his bottom lip along the sensitive path of tense skin. A blast of warm breath over his absorbed hand sent gooseflesh up his arm, the subsequent sigh more like a whimper this time. She wetted the next finger, tightening her check around it to match the now rock-hard massage of his mouth. A single grunt escaped him, and he moved his right hand down to her hip, holding their position more firmly. At this new security, she withdrew the moist and slightly red finger, letting it pull along her bottom lip, competing again for a more torturous pace. The pleasure on her neck only intensified, and she almost reflexively began to guide Tenchi's limp hand through the fold of her kimono. He stopped his kisses for a deep breath, pulling her closer to him by the hip again. A surge of blood flexed the erection already pressing into Aeka's lower back as she brushed her husband's fingertips against her nipple. Rather than continue his smooth pace, Tenchi instantly took the hardened apex and rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. Aeka whined and grunted in low lascivious tones, wrapping one hand over and clawing Tenchi's shoulder, and curling the other back to dig into his side. Her other nipple screamed for attention, and was soon appeased, though it had to wait while he drug his hand across the firm curve of flesh, cupping it for a moment before he pinched down with enough force to draw out a small scream. He quickly muffled it with another more rigorous kiss. Their nostrils steamed through the intense exchange and exploration. This position continued, Tenchi's fingers working diligently in different directions; one straining manipulate both breasts equally, the other trying to keep her now rocking hips from sliding away. Aeka felt that her kimono was beginning to fall away and flexed her shoulders, gradually scraping the cloth away against his chest. When he was finally forced to come up for air, he noticed the growing state of undress and gently contributed to it by moving both his hands slowly down her shoulders. The pressure against his groin was somewhat forgotten as he gazed down at his wife's bare skin, marveling at the flawless ivory texture. Though his arousal, like her heavy breathing, didn't waver, the feral heat in his head began to cool at this simple image. He could not see her face now but knew that she was blushing, as she always did when he stopped whatever he was doing simply to stare at some part of her, silently held in worshipful awe. With surgeon's care, he pulled the kimono further down till it hung at her elbows. She smiled almost giddily, sensing and gladly sharing this reminder of the tenderness at the core of their lovemaking. After one more gentle kiss at the base of Aeka's neck, Tenchi closed his eyes and rested his cheek against her shoulder. He breathed deeply, almost a sigh, while she tried in vain to look over at his face. Rather than be disappointed, she rested their heads together, content for a precious moment to hear him breathing in almost meditative peace. She first shared a velvety sensation as he moved his face, but her nerves quickly clenched back to their original excitement. The slightest scratch of facial stubble against naked flesh made her vividly aware of the wet heat still rising within her. The sound of her tightened breath was also enough to return her husband's more carnal self. Tenchi began to pull on the kimono again, however, Aeka was no longer content to wiggle about. She eagerly took her arms out of the sleeves and began crawling forward while he pulled away the remainder of the garment till it only covered her calves. An eager tongue sewing a path between her vertebrae made her prostrate herself in lewd anticipation. He pulled his fingertips along the sleek figure pulsing in the firelight before him, testing his control so much as to caress his lips submissively against Aeka's thigh, placing one last kiss upon it before nearly tearing his shirt and pants away. Falling snow and rising fire forgotten, all focus directed to the slow insertion. Aeka's moan deepened with the heat of her husband's flesh. When their hips finally resting perfectly together, she tightened inner muscles and molded the slight stress into consuming pleasure. They moved gently, perfect rhythm instantly achieved and maintained as fireplace snapped and blazed beside them, stretching the shadow of their bodies along the floor. Sweat beaded on Aeka's face for the raw power held from consuming her by a silk thread. She gripped the carpet and let out a deepened moan, turning it into a plea for release. Tenchi watched her lift her head up in ecstasy then lower her arms and face to the carpet, tightening the pressure on his erection. He gasped and thrust himself forward, slapping sweet flesh against him and tearing a wild cry from deep with her lungs. Another thrust, even harder and she responded only with rapture. His name reverberated as their pace quickened to almost a vibration, the moist skin beneath his fingers almost slipping away despite his desperate grip. The last aura of the sun faded with the final echo of their orgasms. Tenchi and Aeka both collapsed forward and rolled onto their sides, one feeling the dance of the fire, the other feeling the pulse of a heaving chest. Their limbs curled tightly around each other as they savored the warmth surrounding them and watched the first stars blur amidst fresh snowflakes. Silence between their breaths and the crackling wood, silence and the complete tranquility it offered. In the moments before re-ascending Tenchi reached over to Aeka's sewing basket and removed a thin strip of crushed velvet. He bunched it up in his hand and wiped away a line of sweat upon his wife's minutely pregnant belly. She responded by trying to position herself closer to him. Impossible as this was, she resolved to wrap his arms more tightly around her. The decadent fabric tickled slightly, but she focused instead on the infinitely reassuring meaning behind his gesture. A smile spread wide enough to strain her rosy cheeks. "You know dear, soon we wont be able to take full advantage of these longer nights." He spoke softly, tracing small circles around her naval. Aeka opened one eye at him and changed her smile, responding with sweet superiority. "Well, you'll just have to work extra hard then, wont you?" She felt her husband giggle into her hair. "Whatever you say, princess." *** Author's Note- The idea for Winter Coat came shortly after I submitted Spring Fever. I know I should have finished it back in December, but I live in the overcrowded desert called southern CA and have to imagine cold weather anyway. In case you hadn't already figured it out, this is not a continuation but a side story. I might do two more for the other seasons that will also stand by themselves, if my "real" fanfic doesn't drive me insane first. This piece wasn't written to appeal to Aeka fans, nor to piss off all the Ryoko fans I'd pleased with Spring Fever, but let me take a moment to tell you all that advertising the story as T+R or T+A (giggle) kills almost half the fun. Anime geeks can be artists and lovers too and hopefully these little lemonade breaks will remind people that sex should be considered an event rather than an act. PS = MSTs are encouraged as sugary lemons deserve ridicule even more than tasteless ones.